FUEL, SPEED LIMITS & SATNAVS

fuel

Most service stations in France offer 'Super Unleaded 98'
(sans plomb 98); 'Unleaded 95' (sans plomb 95); diesel (gazole) and LPG (GPL).
It is cheaper to fill up at supermarkets on the edge of time, and more
expensive to use stations on the autoroutes.

Almost all petrol stations accept Visa and Mastercard. but
take care with 24h automatic pumps in supermarket forecourts; many do not
accept credit cards without integrated chip and PIN number.

If you think you may need to fill up in an emergency, check
your card out at a supermarket self-service pump well before you run out. If it
doesn't work, join the queue for the pay-at-the counter pumps.

To be on the safe side, keep you fuel tank topped up all the
time.

FUEL PRICE CHECK

You can now check out the current price of gas all over
France with their handy website Les Prix des Carburants.
Just click on the map to find the city closest to you, or provide your driving
itinerary and get a list of gas stations along the way. Within Paris, the gas
prices vary today from €1.60-€1.93/litre. That’s a pretty big span if you’re
filling up!

Minimum speed limit applies on the outside lane of
autoroutes during daylight, with good visibility: 80kph/50mph.

Speed cameras

There are over 2,000 stationary speed cameras on France's
roads and autoroutes. Where they were located used to be available online, but
the radar speed camera map was removed from the Internet in 2011, following a
government decision to stop warning drivers of upcoming speed cameras.

In addition there are mobile radar cars or the movable
stationary speed cameras, of which there are currently over 1,000, and
increasing all the time. So the sensible rule – is "Do not exceed the
speed limit"...the last thing you want on a holiday visit is the grief of
dealing with traffic police.

Average speed cameras

2012 saw the introduction of the first average speed cameras
(Radars tronçon), on French motorways. These cameras, already used in other
countries, calculate the average speed of a vehicle driving between two points.

satnavs

DRIVERS with
satellite navigation devices installed in their vehicle must update the
software when driving in France, after a new law was introduced in January 2012
making it illegal to use radar warning equipment.

Most of the major Satnav manufacturers have brought out updates that can be
installed from their websites, or from a CD if you do not have internet access.